Model Flags Nabers, Cook as 2026 Fantasy Football Busts
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- SportsLine's model correctly predicted Terry McLaurin's 2025 collapse — he fell from roughly 1,100 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns to career lows of 582 yards and 3 TDs, validating the model's track record call.
- Malik Nabers is flagged as a 2026 bust at wide receiver, going off the board around pick No. 33 but ranked outside the model's top 15 receivers, with an ACL tear, a follow-up spring procedure, and a run-heavy scheme under new OC Matt Nagy cited as risks.
- James Cook is another bust candidate, carrying an ADP around No. 12 overall but ranked only RB10 by the model behind Derrick Henry and Chase Brown, due to elevated fumble rates and Josh Allen siphoning rushing touchdowns.
- The model's track record includes identifying A.J. Brown as a 2020 sleeper, nailing Jonathan Taylor's 2021 breakout, and correctly predicting C.J. Stroud would take a step back in 2024.
- 2026 fantasy football ADP (PPR, via CBS) is led by Jahmyr Gibbs (1.33), Bijan Robinson (1.96), and Ja'Marr Chase (3.81), with James Cook at No. 12 overall.
- SportsLine is also fading one of the first five receivers off draft boards, ranking him barely inside the top 10 and calling him one of the biggest busts in the league this year.
Why it matters: Fantasy drafters paying second- and third-round prices for injured or regression candidates like Nabers and Cook are gambling against a model that called McLaurin before his career-worst season. If its top-5 WR fade lands, the model's early-round bust call could reshape draft-day strategy across thousands of leagues.
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